Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "scrber"
<stephen.bate@m...> wrote:
> OK, Sorry I joined this thread late but I hope I can help.  I had 
> EXACTLY the same thing last week.  And,  I fixed it.
> 
> I had the microbanding, very fine, but visible to my eye, all nozzles 
> firing.  I tried everything and then did a microbanding Google search 
> and put everything I found into action!
> 
> Firstly, I don't know what printer you are using, but with hextone 
> inks in my 1290, I found head alignment extremely difficult to 
> judge.  I have done it many times before but I do now know that they 
> were not right in the past.
> 
> If you have a CIS, are the cartridges located with little felt pads?  
> If so, fold up a bit of card and push it between the two cartridges, 
> not enough to jam in, but tight enough that it stops movement, I 
> found that any knock or wiggle would throw the aligment out by miles, 
> and it would also drift over time.  
> 
> Secondly raise your ink bottle by an inch and then run through 
> the 'windex towel' cleaning method (I assume you know this).  Leave 
> for ten minutes.
> 
> Set the height arm to one height that you will use, shifting up and 
> down also threw my head alignment out.  I chose '-' and it works fine 
> for all my papaers (up to 210gm anyway...).
> 
> Next re-do you head alignment, now this is critical, it took me 
> HOURS.  Pick GOOD paper, and take a loupe (+lightbox if you have one) 
> to screutinise the results.  I went through at least three 'realign' 
> processes for both the colour and B&W alignments. The 'colour' boxes 
> were what I found hardest to interpret, having now spent so much time 
> on it I know what aligned heads look like, it is an almost continuous 
> tone box and is NOT easy to get spot on.
> 
> After all this, my prints are perfect and the banding is gone.
> 
> If this doesn't work, you may have a feed problem, in which case 
> there is another quicker solution.  Turn the high speed on.  This 
> does affect the sharpness of you prints a little because the heads 
> might not be perfectly aligned, but it does instantly (on mine 
> anyway) get rid of the microbanding.  If all else fails, this will 
> let you carry on printing, if not with perfect results though...
> 
> 
> Hope this solves your woes, it did fix mine, let us know!
> 
> Steve.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > > Hey, all you helpful folks!
> > > I'm into my first day with the new Piezotones (installed last 
> night).
> > > I'm getting very fine white banding in a regular visible 
> pattern.  I
> > > now get consistently good nozzle checks and have done several
> > > alignments and gotten that looking pretty good.  However, the 
> numbers
> > > on the alignment checks have  fine white "dropped out" lines 
> through
> > > them one or sometimes two lines width.  The scattered dots I was
> > > getting beside the alignment check lines are fewer and closer now.
> > > Whazzup?  I think I may have been getting some of this banding 
> before
> > > the CIS change, but the alignment check numbers didn't have the 
> white
> > > lines through them with the old CIS (I found some old alignment 
> check
> > > sheets).    Any help much appreciated.
> > > Chris
> > 
> > >
> > I hope someone can help Chris with this printing question, 
> certainly one of
> > the purposes of the forum. But forgive me, Chris, for using this as 
> an
> > opportunity to suggest to the members of the forum an alternate 
> source of
> > help: the makers of our hardware, software and media.
> > 
> > When we go to the source (Epson, Inkjet Mall, etc.), they have a 
> better idea
> > of how extensive these problems are and where they need to make 
> changes.
> > Every call to their tech support is a "vote" for improvement.
> > 
> > When I go directly to the source, I usually get a helpful answer. 
> Sometimes
> > I get a replacement.
> > 
> > 
> > Best,
> > 
> > Jim Klebau

well, thanks to Steve and Jim for responses.  I will do some more
tinkering using  Steve's ideas.  Epson was singularly unhelpful-only
canned answers. InkjetMall somewhat better but still not conclusive. 
I think I'm going to take the machine to a service center soon.
Chris